Kyoto Photos, Cold Sake, Shellfish and Whatnot

The Golden Pavilion, Kyoto
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There was very little rest for the weary as we had our orientation at Ryukoku University on Friday morning. Ryukoku is a private, Buddhist University on a hillside that overlooks Seta. I (Brock) led a group of students on the 1 ½ mile walk through some classic Japanese suburban sprawl up to the gateway to the University, where suddenly the asphalt gave way to some pretty lush greenery and the kind of human-nature balance that I have grown to associate with Japan. It is strange how quickly we moved through the heavy traffic and small business atmosphere around our hotel to the pristine walkways, pine trees and fern forests closer to the university. Either way, I was happy to see that my place of work would be a peaceful one!

Brock at the entrance to the Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto
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We had a chance to walk around the campus and also to meet up with a large group of Japanese students at the University who were anxious to serve as hosts and practice their English with us. I also met Chris, an American expatriate who was working in the Office of International Education at Ryukoku after a several year stint at Panasonic in Osaka. He explained to me that, as a private university, Ryukoku was a “little less competitive” than the huge public universities that are most prestigious in Japan. High School students study very hard for the college entrance exams, and if they secure admission to a top notch public university, their job prospects are pretty much assured. As a result, most students don’t take college very seriously, even at the highest ranking schools. Looking around and not noticing even a single textbook in the hands of the Japanese students around me, it wasn’t hard to convince me. So I asked Chris what kind of students actually came to Ryukoku, he said that it was pretty “Community College-ish.” He answered my next question before the words were even out of my mouth with a short “yeah, the work environment here is a bit more laid back than it was at Panasonic.

I had to plead with Kristin to stay right where she was, for fear that she would bump into a handsome, rich Tokyo businessman on her way down from the shrine.

Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto
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I also learned that Ryukoku didn’t know our group was coming until about three days before our arrival. Oops. It sounds like we will still be able to get some classroom space and library access, which seems like a miracle. I shudder to think about what would happen to a group of students arriving at UGA in the middle of the semester and demanding daily meeting space on campus and full student benefits. Thank goodness for the Japanese sense of obligation.

On Friday night Kristin and I took the 15-minute train ride into Kyoto and had surprisingly little trouble navigating along the way. We had read about a great sushi place near the main shopping district and we (read: ME ME ME) were very, very anxious to check it out. After a fairly long walk (especially for Kristin in her heels), and despite the realization that the kind authors at Lonely Planet have some sort of spacial reasoning / map-scale disorder, we found the Tozi Zushi Den due to my almost preternatural, continually amazing directional skills. What followed was a wonderful feast (Lesson #1 for future Nippo-Tourists: Don’t be afraid to ask the sushi chef to select your meal for you with the phrase o makese shimas) of all sorts of sashimi, sushi, maki rolls and a whole lot of Asahi. We also had some excellent cold sake, some of which was graciously provided by a totally drunk but totally friendly middle aged man at the end of the sushi bar. Our neighbors at the bar were also a blast, especially when they found out that I was about to turn 31 and Kristin was only 22. Despite our most vigorous denials, we will forever be haunted by their shrill, repeated chants of “Teacha-Studen! Teacha-Studen! Teacha-Studen!”

For hand washing before prayer
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Saturday was our first big day of sightseeing. Naturally, our destination was Kyoto. Kristin and I felt like experts on the way into town because of our trip in the night before, but we quickly learned that public transportation is about 100 times worse with a large group of college students. We had connections galore and a series of very, very long bus rides (all filled to the brim, which forced us to stand right up against each other) to get to the temples. But once we arrived, spirits were lifted. Our first stop was the Golden Pavilion, which is a fairly small complex, but an exquisitely peaceful one. The temple sits on the edge of a beautifully-shaped, still as night pond. There were islands dotting the pond, each with a perfectly placed, bansai-like tree on them. I remarked to Hyangsoon (the other UGA professor on the trip) that it seemed almost heavenly and she was quick to tell me that indeed that was the goal. The complex was run by the “Pureland’ sect of Buddhism that has a defined vision of what kind of world we live in upon achieving enlightenment, and sometimes tries to create representations of heaven on earth. At least that’s what I think she said.

Japanese school children take field trips on the weekends
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And then there were the carp that I swear could see us from at least 100 yards away. They swarmed over to us whenever our path brought us close to the pond’s edge. Carp always conjure up weird feelings for me – they seem almost prehistoric with the thick, scaly bodies, but they also have some human-like qualities like their big lips and eyes. Anyhow, Hyangsoon (who is Korean) told us that attitudes toward carp are indicative of the huge differences between Japanese and Korean cultures. Classic story: carp are a delicacy in Korea but sacred to Japanese who would thus never think of eating them. Add in some wars, massacres, economic imperialism and stir.

Brock loved this forest overlooking Kyoto
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After we left the Golden Pavilion, we took another hour or so bus ride to the Kiyomizu Temple, which overlooks the vast expanse of Kyoto proper. We hiked up a cobblestone street filled with souvenir shops and then arrived at the grand entrance to the temple itself. It was a Saturday afternoon, and there were Japanese schoolchildren EVERYWHERE. In addition to their 5 days of schooling during the week, school children have their Saturdays filled with sports in the morning and field trips in the afternoon. No wonder they want to slack off once they get to college! We weaved our way through the crowds and soaked in the beautiful views back toward the city. There was a shrine set a bit off the main temple that is explicitly for those seeking to meet a new lover. I had to plead with Kristin to stay right where she was, for fear that she would bump into a handsome, rich Tokyo businessman on her way down from the shrine. Hey, a guy has got to do what a guy has got to do!

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Kiyomizu is a finalist to be one of the “New Seven Wonders of the World” and I can see why. It is a tremendous example of Buddhist history set right above a modern, 21^st century city. As they say, vote early and often. After descending from the temple, we took (another) short bus ride and went back to the main shopping district that Kristin and I had visited the night before. It was bustling and we had an hour or so of free time to explore. Unfortunately, we were all so tired that it was basically an hour of trying to find an empty square foot to collapse. Dinner was quiet and the group was feeling some serious jet lag as we ended our day and headed back to our new home in the suburbs. I think the group is thinking about building a white picket fence outside the entry door and maybe even adopting a dog from the Japanese Humane Society.